Thread: Supplies Advice, Please

Marking.. for bright colors I use dark tailors chalk. Use a light hand with it and it will wash out. Batting? Just a good quality cotton or cotton/poly blend batting. For small projects it shouldn't cost too much money. Stay away from cheap poly batting. It has a tendency to bunch up. You don't need those headaches.

tim in san jose

You should be able to get an appropriately sized package of just about any batting. I normally use Warm & Natural but there are other 100% or poly or blends available. If a pre-packaged size is not appropriate for you, JoAnn Fabrics will cut W&N by the yard. May be over buy as it is 90" wide.

I am a hand quilter - not sure which quilting method you are planning to use. I use a #2 mechanical pencil on light fabrics and a Bohin mechanical pencil with white lead for dark fabrics. There are plenty of mechanical-type chalk pencils on the market as well. I personally find them easier to use than straight up tailors chalk. Even plain old sidewalk chalk will work on dark fabrics. Other colors of colored kids chalk will work on opposing fabrics but you should test first. Some blues and yellows, particularly, can be problematic with washing out.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I found that Crayola WASHABLE Markers are the quilters new best friend. But you do have to wash the quilt after you finish to get the markers out. And as always, test on piece of your quilt fabric first.

I also use washable markers, but be sure to test on scraps first! I use poly all the time and have no problems with it bunching....you just have to make sure your quilting is within the guidelines on the packaging (the quilting lines for most poly is 3-6"). That is the quilting lines (or ties) should not be more than 3-6" apart in any direction. Poly batting is warmer, but also comes in different thicknesses (loft) for different uses. There are many different battings to choose from and each one will have its advantages.

For dark fabrics my favorite is the Bohin chalk pencil. It's white and pink and if you Google it you will find places to buy. For anything else I just use a black ink pen. I've tried some fabric marking pens, but they get on my acrylic ruler if I'm drawing a straight edge, and in general I don't see an advantage (others may now chime in with the advantages!) and they're just more expensive. Regular ink generally comes out with hairspray and then a wash, even if it's already set in the dryer (YMMV).

I too use water pencils................and chalk for darks.........calla

The most inexpensive batting is poly. Cotton prices have skyrocketed in the past few years. Hobbs Polydown is a fine poly batting. I use it often and it is good quality and doesn't bunch. But it is slippery so you need to baste your quilt sandwich well. www.connectingthreads.com often has sales on batting at 30% off with free shipping at $50. In fact they are having one right now. Many stock up during this sale as the prices can't be beat.

I used slivers of soap on the Amish Style doll quilt for my g-dau. (36x36)